My humble thoughts on the Pocket Pro

Davimee · 02-28-2010, 08:45 PM

I've had my Pocket Pro for a few days, and I thought I'd share my thoughts. I know there are plenty of reviews, but I figured I'd just add my two cents.

Let me start by saying, I love it! I really think this was a wise purchase for me. I bought it mostly for all the free books in Public Domain. I'd been reading on my old Palm T/X, but it seems to be on its last leg. And seeing as how I rarely used that for anything other than reading, I decided to look into an ebook reader.

When I first started looking, the most important thing to me was size. One reason I read so often on my Palm is that it is small and easily fits in my purse, so I can read anywhere. I wasn't really interested in Kindle, although in my initial research the Nook looked interesting. I liked the fact that it worked with so many file types, but once I saw the dimensions I decided it was just too big. It also seemed to have a lot of wasted space, with that touch screen at the bottom. I wasn't interested in wi-fi, since I'll mostly be downloading free books. So their wireless bookstore wasn't really a benefit to me.

After I found these forums, I started looking for other options. At first I was interested in the Sony Pocket, as the price was right, and the size was much better than the Nook. Then I found out about the Pocket Pro. It's just a little smaller, but that little bit was enough to make a difference for me. The numerous file formats seemed nice, but since I'm new to ebook readers I wasn't sure I'd really need all of them. The mp3 player seemed like it could be a nice feature, but it wasn't a main selling point. I mostly liked the small size, and the fact that it had an expandable SD slot. These were the two biggest selling points for me. And the fact that it comes in purple was an added bonus.

Once I saw the Pocket Pro in person at Car Toys, that cinched it for me. We also went out to Borders that day so I could see the Sony, but I really liked the feel of the Pocket Pro over the Sony. The Sony just seemed so hard and cold, but the Pocket Pro was more comfortable to hold.

Now that I've had it a few days, I know I've made the right decision. I do like the feel of the reader. I've loaded a few songs onto it to try out the mp3 player. It sounds fine, and I'll probably use it now and then, although for the most part I'll stick to my current mp3 player. (The thing I like about this as opposed to my mp3 player is it's a lot easier to pick a song, since I can see them all in the menu. My mp3 player doesn't have a very good menu.)

Being left handed I don't use the scroll wheel as much as some people would, although it is nice to have 3 options for page turning. The book marking feature is nice, as is the way the folders work. At first when I loaded books from Calibre I had way too many folders, so I had to go back and rearrange the way I had it load books. It was just a matter of trial and error to figure out the best way of making folders, for my needs.

The page turns seem plenty fast to me. When I had first started reading about ebook readers I was afraid the page turns would be painfully slow, but it doesn't seem that way, at all.

I have noticed there are a few things that would be nice to have, as others here have mentioned. Things like a way of deleting books from the device, or a way of seeing how far into the book I am. I would also like a way to highlight, but I don't know how that would be possible without a touch screen. Those things are just minor... I wouldn't want to trade the Pocket Pro in for another device that would do them... that would be too much of a sacrifice. I much prefer the Pocket Pro to a touch screen!

Well hopefully this isn't too long and rambling of a post, but I just wanted to share my thoughts. I am really enjoying my new ebook reader (or Eagle Breeder, as my kids call it, because that's kind of what "ebook reader" sounds like to them

), and after showing it off to my MIL, she is thinking of getting one. She really likes the small size of it as well, plus the ability to change font size for her aging eyes.

Oh, the other thing that really helped me to make my decision is the support I've seen here on the forums from Robertb. It's rare to see a company offer this much customer service, but that was a major selling point for me, as well.

So the main selling points for me were:

Price
Small Size
Customer Support
Comfortable Feel / Easy to Hold
Expandable SD Slot

Thanks Astak for such a wonderful product!

Solicitous · 02-28-2010, 09:54 PM

Good to know you are loving your new toy, especially given the dramas of ordering through Car Toys initially.

I totally agree on your comment about support. It is one thing to supply a really good product, but couple that with brilliant support, as Astak have done, and you have a perfect match. Robert's presence here is fantastic. Whilst on this forum we help one another, Robert turns up and offers whatever support/help he possibly can - Astak really stand by their product.

Well we can now move you to the group of official Pocket Pro owners...Welcome!!!

Davimee · 02-28-2010, 10:14 PM

Thank you, Solicitous! I'm really happy to be in the official group!

And yes, these forums are awesome! I've learned so much here!

IndecisiveMe · 03-01-2010, 12:50 AM

That's a great review, Davimee. I'm so glad you're loving your Pocket Pro! Having still not completely decided on which reader I'll be buying, I'm worried about how small you say it is. I'm worried it's going to be too small. Does anyone find that to be the case?

I have an iPhone and tried reading on that, but it's really too small for me. Am I correct in thinking that the Pocket Pro is about two times the size of the iPhone?

Every time I think I've finally made up my mind (look at my username!), I start worrying about the size again.

Davimee · 03-01-2010, 01:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by IndecisiveMe

That's a great review, Davimee. I'm so glad you're loving your Pocket Pro! Having still not completely decided on which reader I'll be buying, I'm worried about how small you say it is. I'm worried it's going to be too small. Does anyone find that to be the case?

I have an iPhone and tried reading on that, but it's really too small for me. Am I correct in thinking that the Pocket Pro is about two times the size of the iPhone?

Every time I think I've finally made up my mind (look at my username!), I start worrying about the size again.

How about this? Tomorrow I will try to take a picture of it next to my old Palm T/X. Will that give you a good idea as to the size? I think the T/X is similar in size to an ipod, although I'm not quite sure on that. I'm trying to think if there is anything else I could use to compare the size for you... What I did when I was trying to figure out which size would work best for me, is I looked up the dimensions of all the different readers I was considering, and drew mock-ups of them on an old legal pad. It doesn't help me to just look at the numbers, I need to actually see it to know if something will work for me. Then I could hold them up to my purse and see if they would fit.

I didn't find anything with the screen size, though. They all said either 5" or 6", but didn't give the actual dimensions of the screen. If it will help you, here are the dimensions of the Pocket Pro... it's just under 6" tall, by just over 4" wide. The screen size is 4" tall by 3" wide. When I drew them out I was amazed at the difference in size of the ones I was considering. The Nook seems huge compared to this, even though the screen size is only an inch bigger (diagonally)! I don't still have that legal pad, otherwise I'd give you the dimensions of the ones I looked at.

MaggieScratch · 03-01-2010, 02:11 AM

Hey Davimee,

So glad you are enjoying your Pocket Pro! I mostly use mine to read free public domain books, too. There are so many great books I want to read.

I wanted to let you know that if you are reading ePub books, if you click the menu button (not sure if that's the right name--but the right part of the big round button), with the menu flashes up the "page" count, which is not exact but will give you an idea of how far along you are in your book. Just click the button again to get rid of it. Hope that helps.

Carlos 31 · 03-01-2010, 02:13 AM

Great Review! I completely agree with most of what you said. The fact that the PPro is not a touch screen device and that is only for reading (or listening to music if you want) and not seriously distracting as any other 3G e-reader was the selling point for me.
I think I can be upgraded and improved though and I´m sure that the Astak guys will do it eventually.
Glad you are enjoying your toy.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Davimee

I've had my Pocket Pro for a few days, and I thought I'd share my thoughts. I know there are plenty of reviews, but I figured I'd just add my two cents.

Let me start by saying, I love it! I really think this was a wise purchase for me. I bought it mostly for all the free books in Public Domain. I'd been reading on my old Palm T/X, but it seems to be on its last leg. And seeing as how I rarely used that for anything other than reading, I decided to look into an ebook reader.

When I first started looking, the most important thing to me was size. One reason I read so often on my Palm is that it is small and easily fits in my purse, so I can read anywhere. I wasn't really interested in Kindle, although in my initial research the Nook looked interesting. I liked the fact that it worked with so many file types, but once I saw the dimensions I decided it was just too big. It also seemed to have a lot of wasted space, with that touch screen at the bottom. I wasn't interested in wi-fi, since I'll mostly be downloading free books. So their wireless bookstore wasn't really a benefit to me.

After I found these forums, I started looking for other options. At first I was interested in the Sony Pocket, as the price was right, and the size was much better than the Nook. Then I found out about the Pocket Pro. It's just a little smaller, but that little bit was enough to make a difference for me. The numerous file formats seemed nice, but since I'm new to ebook readers I wasn't sure I'd really need all of them. The mp3 player seemed like it could be a nice feature, but it wasn't a main selling point. I mostly liked the small size, and the fact that it had an expandable SD slot. These were the two biggest selling points for me. And the fact that it comes in purple was an added bonus.

Once I saw the Pocket Pro in person at Car Toys, that cinched it for me. We also went out to Borders that day so I could see the Sony, but I really liked the feel of the Pocket Pro over the Sony. The Sony just seemed so hard and cold, but the Pocket Pro was more comfortable to hold.

Now that I've had it a few days, I know I've made the right decision. I do like the feel of the reader. I've loaded a few songs onto it to try out the mp3 player. It sounds fine, and I'll probably use it now and then, although for the most part I'll stick to my current mp3 player. (The thing I like about this as opposed to my mp3 player is it's a lot easier to pick a song, since I can see them all in the menu. My mp3 player doesn't have a very good menu.)

Being left handed I don't use the scroll wheel as much as some people would, although it is nice to have 3 options for page turning. The book marking feature is nice, as is the way the folders work. At first when I loaded books from Calibre I had way too many folders, so I had to go back and rearrange the way I had it load books. It was just a matter of trial and error to figure out the best way of making folders, for my needs.

The page turns seem plenty fast to me. When I had first started reading about ebook readers I was afraid the page turns would be painfully slow, but it doesn't seem that way, at all.

I have noticed there are a few things that would be nice to have, as others here have mentioned. Things like a way of deleting books from the device, or a way of seeing how far into the book I am. I would also like a way to highlight, but I don't know how that would be possible without a touch screen. Those things are just minor... I wouldn't want to trade the Pocket Pro in for another device that would do them... that would be too much of a sacrifice. I much prefer the Pocket Pro to a touch screen!

Well hopefully this isn't too long and rambling of a post, but I just wanted to share my thoughts. I am really enjoying my new ebook reader (or Eagle Breeder, as my kids call it, because that's kind of what "ebook reader" sounds like to them

), and after showing it off to my MIL, she is thinking of getting one. She really likes the small size of it as well, plus the ability to change font size for her aging eyes.

Oh, the other thing that really helped me to make my decision is the support I've seen here on the forums from Robertb. It's rare to see a company offer this much customer service, but that was a major selling point for me, as well.

So the main selling points for me were:

Price
Small Size
Customer Support
Comfortable Feel / Easy to Hold
Expandable SD Slot

Thanks Astak for such a wonderful product!

Javed · 03-01-2010, 02:48 AM

Enjoyed reading the review, Davimee. Glad you're happy with your Pocket Pro.

Solicitous · 03-01-2010, 03:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by IndecisiveMe

That's a great review, Davimee. I'm so glad you're loving your Pocket Pro! Having still not completely decided on which reader I'll be buying, I'm worried about how small you say it is. I'm worried it's going to be too small. Does anyone find that to be the case?

I have an iPhone and tried reading on that, but it's really too small for me. Am I correct in thinking that the Pocket Pro is about two times the size of the iPhone?

Every time I think I've finally made up my mind (look at my username!), I start worrying about the size again.

Just in addition to Davimee's post, the measurements in mm are 152 x 121 x 9 (the physical device, not the screen size). I can't compare the PP to the iphone as I haven't seen one, but don't forget, regardless of the ereader you buy you can adjust the text size (referred to as zoom levels) to the most comfortable size for your reading.

Laura81 · 03-01-2010, 03:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by IndecisiveMe

That's a great review, Davimee. I'm so glad you're loving your Pocket Pro! Having still not completely decided on which reader I'll be buying, I'm worried about how small you say it is. I'm worried it's going to be too small. Does anyone find that to be the case?

I have an iPhone and tried reading on that, but it's really too small for me. Am I correct in thinking that the Pocket Pro is about two times the size of the iPhone?

Every time I think I've finally made up my mind (look at my username!), I start worrying about the size again.

I don't believe you'll have any problem with the size of the device. I went from a six inch reader to a five inch and to me it seems the five inch has given me more reading room! I know technically that's not possible but it feels like it when reading.

IndecisiveMe · 03-01-2010, 05:00 AM

Davimee, thanks so much for your help

I'll draw up the Pocket Pro and see how I go. I noticed on the matrix that the display size is listed (and I remember someone, maybe you Solicitous, mentioning that to me a while ago).

Laura, it's great to know that you're not noticing a big difference going from 6" to 5", that's my main concern.

Robertb · 03-01-2010, 08:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by IndecisiveMe

Davimee, thanks so much for your help

I'll draw up the Pocket Pro and see how I go. I noticed on the matrix that the display size is listed (and I remember someone, maybe you Solicitous, mentioning that to me a while ago).

Laura, it's great to know that you're not noticing a big difference going from 6" to 5", that's my main concern.

Dear IndecisiveMe:

I think everybody at first says: "I know what a six inch is... but, wow, a five inch might be too small".

Reality is you likely will not note any difference (my humble opinion). The inches are measured diagonally... so a 5 inch is NOT an inch smaller in length or width regarding the screen. And... you have 9 (nine) font sizes in EPUB and PDF when you do the latest firmware upgrade.

Davimee · 03-01-2010, 09:28 PM

Ok, I took a picture of my Pocket Pro next to my Palm. This is in direct sunlight, and also with the camera's flash. In direct sunlight the color is pretty light, but now in the evening it seems darker. In any case, I love the color!

So let's see if I can figure out how to post the picture...

IndecisiveMe · 03-01-2010, 09:39 PM

Thanks, Davimee, that purple is a very pretty colour!

Davimee · 03-01-2010, 10:00 PM

You're welcome! And hopefully that will give you a better idea as to the size. I think the Palm T/X is similar in size to an ipod touch.

02-28-2010, 08:45 PM	#1
Davimee Happy Wife & Momma Posts: 532 Karma: 1634 Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: USA Device: Purple Astak Pocket Pro! :)	My humble thoughts on the Pocket Pro I've had my Pocket Pro for a few days, and I thought I'd share my thoughts. I know there are plenty of reviews, but I figured I'd just add my two cents. Let me start by saying, I love it! I really think this was a wise purchase for me. I bought it mostly for all the free books in Public Domain. I'd been reading on my old Palm T/X, but it seems to be on its last leg. And seeing as how I rarely used that for anything other than reading, I decided to look into an ebook reader. When I first started looking, the most important thing to me was size. One reason I read so often on my Palm is that it is small and easily fits in my purse, so I can read anywhere. I wasn't really interested in Kindle, although in my initial research the Nook looked interesting. I liked the fact that it worked with so many file types, but once I saw the dimensions I decided it was just too big. It also seemed to have a lot of wasted space, with that touch screen at the bottom. I wasn't interested in wi-fi, since I'll mostly be downloading free books. So their wireless bookstore wasn't really a benefit to me. After I found these forums, I started looking for other options. At first I was interested in the Sony Pocket, as the price was right, and the size was much better than the Nook. Then I found out about the Pocket Pro. It's just a little smaller, but that little bit was enough to make a difference for me. The numerous file formats seemed nice, but since I'm new to ebook readers I wasn't sure I'd really need all of them. The mp3 player seemed like it could be a nice feature, but it wasn't a main selling point. I mostly liked the small size, and the fact that it had an expandable SD slot. These were the two biggest selling points for me. And the fact that it comes in purple was an added bonus. Once I saw the Pocket Pro in person at Car Toys, that cinched it for me. We also went out to Borders that day so I could see the Sony, but I really liked the feel of the Pocket Pro over the Sony. The Sony just seemed so hard and cold, but the Pocket Pro was more comfortable to hold. Now that I've had it a few days, I know I've made the right decision. I do like the feel of the reader. I've loaded a few songs onto it to try out the mp3 player. It sounds fine, and I'll probably use it now and then, although for the most part I'll stick to my current mp3 player. (The thing I like about this as opposed to my mp3 player is it's a lot easier to pick a song, since I can see them all in the menu. My mp3 player doesn't have a very good menu.) Being left handed I don't use the scroll wheel as much as some people would, although it is nice to have 3 options for page turning. The book marking feature is nice, as is the way the folders work. At first when I loaded books from Calibre I had way too many folders, so I had to go back and rearrange the way I had it load books. It was just a matter of trial and error to figure out the best way of making folders, for my needs. The page turns seem plenty fast to me. When I had first started reading about ebook readers I was afraid the page turns would be painfully slow, but it doesn't seem that way, at all. I have noticed there are a few things that would be nice to have, as others here have mentioned. Things like a way of deleting books from the device, or a way of seeing how far into the book I am. I would also like a way to highlight, but I don't know how that would be possible without a touch screen. Those things are just minor... I wouldn't want to trade the Pocket Pro in for another device that would do them... that would be too much of a sacrifice. I much prefer the Pocket Pro to a touch screen! Well hopefully this isn't too long and rambling of a post, but I just wanted to share my thoughts. I am really enjoying my new ebook reader (or Eagle Breeder, as my kids call it, because that's kind of what "ebook reader" sounds like to them ), and after showing it off to my MIL, she is thinking of getting one. She really likes the small size of it as well, plus the ability to change font size for her aging eyes. Oh, the other thing that really helped me to make my decision is the support I've seen here on the forums from Robertb. It's rare to see a company offer this much customer service, but that was a major selling point for me, as well. So the main selling points for me were: Price Small Size Customer Support Comfortable Feel / Easy to Hold Expandable SD Slot Thanks Astak for such a wonderful product!

03-01-2010, 02:48 AM	#8
Javed Grand Sorcerer Posts: 10,270 Karma: 1126878541 Join Date: Oct 2009 Device: Astak Pocket PRO, iPod Touch, PRS-650	Enjoyed reading the review, Davimee. Glad you're happy with your Pocket Pro. Last edited by Javed; 03-01-2010 at 03:47 AM.

03-01-2010, 09:28 PM	#13
Davimee Happy Wife & Momma Posts: 532 Karma: 1634 Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: USA Device: Purple Astak Pocket Pro! :)	Comparison Picture Ok, I took a picture of my Pocket Pro next to my Palm. This is in direct sunlight, and also with the camera's flash. In direct sunlight the color is pretty light, but now in the evening it seems darker. In any case, I love the color! So let's see if I can figure out how to post the picture... Attached Thumbnails

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02-28-2010, 09:54 PM	#2
Solicitous Wizard Posts: 1,434 Karma: 1525776 Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: TAS, Australia Device: Astak Pocket Pro (Black), 2 x Kindle WiFi (Graphite), iPod Touch 4G	Good to know you are loving your new toy, especially given the dramas of ordering through Car Toys initially. I totally agree on your comment about support. It is one thing to supply a really good product, but couple that with brilliant support, as Astak have done, and you have a perfect match. Robert's presence here is fantastic. Whilst on this forum we help one another, Robert turns up and offers whatever support/help he possibly can - Astak really stand by their product. Well we can now move you to the group of official Pocket Pro owners...Welcome!!!

02-28-2010, 10:14 PM	#3
Davimee Happy Wife & Momma Posts: 532 Karma: 1634 Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: USA Device: Purple Astak Pocket Pro! :)	Thank you, Solicitous! I'm really happy to be in the official group! And yes, these forums are awesome! I've learned so much here!

03-01-2010, 12:50 AM	#4
IndecisiveMe Addict Posts: 276 Karma: 106 Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Melbourne, Australia Device: Pocketbook 360, Sony PRS-T1	That's a great review, Davimee. I'm so glad you're loving your Pocket Pro! Having still not completely decided on which reader I'll be buying, I'm worried about how small you say it is. I'm worried it's going to be too small. Does anyone find that to be the case? I have an iPhone and tried reading on that, but it's really too small for me. Am I correct in thinking that the Pocket Pro is about two times the size of the iPhone? Every time I think I've finally made up my mind (look at my username!), I start worrying about the size again.

03-01-2010, 02:11 AM	#6
MaggieScratch Has got to the black veil Posts: 542 Karma: 2144168 Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Southeastern Pennsylvania Device: Kobo Aura One, Kindle Paperwhite 2	Hey Davimee, So glad you are enjoying your Pocket Pro! I mostly use mine to read free public domain books, too. There are so many great books I want to read. I wanted to let you know that if you are reading ePub books, if you click the menu button (not sure if that's the right name--but the right part of the big round button), with the menu flashes up the "page" count, which is not exact but will give you an idea of how far along you are in your book. Just click the button again to get rid of it. Hope that helps.

03-01-2010, 05:00 AM	#11
IndecisiveMe Addict Posts: 276 Karma: 106 Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Melbourne, Australia Device: Pocketbook 360, Sony PRS-T1	Davimee, thanks so much for your help I'll draw up the Pocket Pro and see how I go. I noticed on the matrix that the display size is listed (and I remember someone, maybe you Solicitous, mentioning that to me a while ago). Laura, it's great to know that you're not noticing a big difference going from 6" to 5", that's my main concern.

03-01-2010, 09:39 PM	#14
IndecisiveMe Addict Posts: 276 Karma: 106 Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Melbourne, Australia Device: Pocketbook 360, Sony PRS-T1	Thanks, Davimee, that purple is a very pretty colour!

03-01-2010, 10:00 PM	#15
Davimee Happy Wife & Momma Posts: 532 Karma: 1634 Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: USA Device: Purple Astak Pocket Pro! :)	You're welcome! And hopefully that will give you a better idea as to the size. I think the Palm T/X is similar in size to an ipod touch.

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